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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29250498">in the summer before the war</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/cptnswnbrnes/pseuds/cptnswnbrnes'>cptnswnbrnes</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>War of Hearts (The Untold Story of Theo &amp; Liam) [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Teen Wolf (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Compliant, Fluff and Angst, Liam Dumbar - Freeform, Liam Dunbar is Theo Raeken's Anchor, M/M, Minor Corey Bryant/Mason Hewitt, Minor Lydia Martin/Stiles Stilinski, Past Liam Dunbar/Hayden Romero, Pre-Season 6b, Theo Raeken Needs a Hug, Theo Raeken is Liam Dunbar's Anchor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 11:34:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>14,013</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29250498</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/cptnswnbrnes/pseuds/cptnswnbrnes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Theo, upon his first decent sleep in weeks, is woken up to loud knocks and an angry werewolf offering a home.</p><p>{Takes place during the summer, before Season 6B.}</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>War of Hearts (The Untold Story of Theo &amp; Liam) [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2126220</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>59</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>in the summer before the war</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi! I hope you enjoy reading! Hopefully, there are no errors except for mixing up past/present tense (which I will later fix). Please let me know what you think after reading!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>—THEO—</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll give you a ride.”</p><p>Theo’s hair stood on end at the offer. He didn’t know why he had said it, especially since he had just turned off the engine to his truck. It was clear that if Liam wanted a ride to Scott’s, he would have had asked, but he didn’t. They sat in silence for a moment, so Theo thought he should listen to what he could hear. Liam’s heartbeat. It was beating fast. Just like it had when they first laid down to sleep last night. Of course, then it had calmed down, now it sped faster. Theo cleared his throat and decidedly got out of the truck. Either way, they should bring the groceries inside.</p><p>Liam remained quiet as he stepped out of Theo’s truck and took the remaining groceries in his arms. They walked side by side as they entered the huge, stark white home together. Theo couldn’t help but still take notice of how it was so different than any house he had stepped foot in before, and now he had to get used to it as his home? Theo just didn’t know. He apparently didn’t know as much as he thought he did when it came to Liam. He never would’ve thought that Liam would offer him a place to live, and he never would’ve thought he’d be shopping for groceries and paint with him either. And offering him a ride to Scott’s while Beacon Hills wasn’t in danger? Definitely not. He just wanted to pay back Liam for letting him stay there, despite what Theo had branded obvious distrust in Liam’s eyes whenever Theo was near his parents.</p><p>With everything sat down, Theo could sense Liam’s muscles tensing in response to the silence, and could smell the stench that was Liam’s nervousness. The reason why was obvious. They had discussed it last night.<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>[<em>flashback</em>]**</p><p>Theo wakes to ever-persistent knocks on his window, which, slowly but surely, drew him into consciousness. He opens his eyes, startled and ready to jump out of his truck at the deputy’s request. Sitting up and slowly raising his hands, he prepares to get in the front, before he notices something different about the knocks. There was no flashlight shining through the window, and the deputy hadn’t said anything. The knocks themselves weren’t the <em>pound pound </em>pounding of a deputy’s hand, they seemed stronger. Supernatural, even. Something dawned on him, eliciting a groan from the boy as he picked up on the familiar scent for the first time.</p><p>“What do you want?” Theo asked impatiently at the small werewolf, anger rolling off of him in waves, hitting Theo like one of Liam’s forceful knocks as he stepped out of his truck. “You’re going to dent my truck,” he mumbled, but before he could say anything else, he was met with the force of Liam’s fist in his face. He squeezed his eyes shut tight, feeling the warm flow of blood overcome his senses before the obvious tug of his bone and flesh knitting itself back together allowed him to breathe again.</p><p>“You’re living in your truck?” Liam asked, obviously infuriated. His tone of voice let Theo know just how much of an inconvenience Liam thought Theo’s homelessness was, and when his vision finally settled back on Liam, his face was scrunched up in anger too, his lips in a deep frown. The punch and the breaking of his nose didn’t even make him angry, that was just something Theo expected of most of the McCall Pack by now, but Liam being visibly angry at Theo because he is homeless? His blood started to boil.</p><p>“What if I am?” Theo snapped. “You think you can wake me up in the middle of the night, punch me and break my nose, and then ask a question like that? It isn’t any of your business, Liam.” Theo shoved past him, a tightness blooming in his chest at the contact and the softly mumbled <em>it’ll heal</em> that he thought he could hear Liam say. He wanted to keep being angry at the younger werewolf, but he knew he didn’t have it in him, sleep pulling at his eyes as the blood trickling down from his nose came to a slow stop. Theo knew it was better for him to get as far away from Liam as possible right now. Liam was angry and Theo didn’t have the easiest of times keeping his own emotions in check these days. Sure, he was still aware of everyone else’s, almost as if he was empathic, but he had almost no control of his own, especially when he was tired, and his chemo signals would give him away eventually, letting the other boy know that he wasn’t only angry, but embarrassed.</p><p>Liam let out a sound, one Theo couldn’t place that seemed to be involuntary, before he grunted in annoyance and indifference.  “Theo.”  Before Theo could respond, Liam roughly pulled back on his arm, halting his movement, and moving to stand in front of the driver’s seat door. Blocking his way out. Theo flashed his golden eyes briefly before focusing on the ground to get his bearings. Not that he had to control his anger, but he thought it best. Theo wasn’t going to risk it just because Liam had destroyed the sword.</p><p>He decided on crossing arms before looking back up to Liam. “What are you doing?” He waited a minute, allowing time for the silence to envelope them and the last of Theo’s warmth to seep out into the chilly air. It was unusually cold for this time of year, but Theo blamed it on the wind. “Are we going to stand here all night? Liam, why do you even care? I am tired.”</p><p>“You can’t sleep in your truck.” Liam said in a matter-of-fact tone. No anger, no malice, and his heart didn’t skip a single beat.</p><p>“No? That’s odd. I’m pretty sure that’s what I’ve been doing ever since you pulled me out of hell.” Liam winced at the mention of hell, though Theo wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was the use of the word “hell,” maybe he preferred to think of it as a prison. Only that wasn’t all it was. And it isn’t like Liam had been the one to actually go there, and it isn’t like he <em>cared</em> about Theo, at least not past what he could use him for -which was only fair, but it hurt. “Liam, unless you are going to invite me over for a sleepover or pay rent on an apartment that you can somehow get tonight, move so I can sleep.”</p><p>“Okay, let’s go then.” Liam sighed. The scent of his anger was gone now, and it was slowly being replaced by anxiety. “You can stay at my house.”</p><p>Theo felt like he had been shot, and he would know. But Theo had been shot enough to know how to get back on his feet. He gathered himself enough to take a step back from Liam, as he knew that he likely had a shocked look on his face, and a weird scent. Even his heart skipped a beat. It wasn’t like taking a step back would help, Liam would notice either way, but he did it anyway. He was reminded of all those other times the beta had made his heart flutter, all those times Theo had to push his true self to the farthest reaches of his mind in order to resist getting hurt -<em>and resist hurting others.</em></p><p>Physical pain? Theo could handle that. Emotional? … He’s reminded of “being the bait” for the beta, and the fact that the only good dreams he has had since coming back included Liam. And how Liam broke up with Hayden because he wouldn’t try to find a way to send him back. Theo usually has better control of letting himself hope, believing only people like Scott should try it, but he couldn’t help himself. The offer Liam was making pulled at him, tugging at him in places he had long forgotten existed. The Dread Doctors had molded him, brainwashed him, into being the perfect solider. Still, they could never get rid of his desire for a pack, for a family. And now Liam was reminding him of that desire, and so many more desires that he had rarely felt in his lifetime. It didn’t matter. Theo knew instantly that he had to decline. No… he couldn’t do emotional pain, he couldn’t do <em>emotions, </em>and he didn’t deserve any but anger directed at him either, especially pity.</p><p>“<em>Liam</em>,” Theo barely whispered, despite meaning it come out in confident annoyance. Theo might be aware that he didn’t deserve good things, Hell had made that abundantly clear, but sometimes his body made choices without asking him. Like whispering the name of the only person who has ever offered him anything truly good in life. And he <em>hated </em>Liam for it. Really, he did. Feeling anything else was too dangerous.</p><p>Liam held out his hand expectantly, letting the silence be his response. He wanted to be thankful that Liam didn’t mention the clear break in his voice when he said his name, but Liam not arguing unsettled his nerves. The silence lasted so long that Theo wondered if Liam wanted him to hold his hand... though he didn’t risk it, even when Liam’s heart started beating faster.</p><p>Liam shifted his feet and cleared his throat. Theo could have sworn he saw his face turn a deeper red, but he shrugged it off, reasoning that it was the unusually cold air. “Keys, Theo,” Liam finally said.</p><p>“What? Oh.” Theo reached in his pocket without thinking, already used to obliging to the little wolf. “Wait. I did not agree to this. Why would I want to have a <em>sleepover</em> with you?”</p><p>Liam scoffed, taking the keys from Theo’s hand. “Do you think that I am thrilled at the idea of you sleeping under the same roof as my parents?” Despite fresh whiffs of anger coming off of Liam, Liam opened the driver’s seat door anyway before stepping inside. “Come on.”</p><p>Theo didn’t argue. He was too tired. He hadn’t been getting much sleep since the ghost riders left. He wasn’t sure why he stuck around Beacon Hills, but he had. Stupidly. Maybe Scott did warn him to stick around, but Theo knew it was an empty threat. Theo might have been the only one of Scott’s enemies that Scott actually killed... basically killed... but he knew Scott wouldn’t actually do anything to stop him from leaving since it was evident that he was no longer a threat -and if Theo decided to be one, Scott wouldn’t hesitate to end it with a quick call to Kira.</p><p>In under a second, Theo was in the front passenger seat. Liam sat awkwardly for a moment before adjusting the seat, looking warily at Theo when he gave a half-hearted growl, before starting the truck and pulling out of the parking lot. Theo felt extremely uncomfortable. He hadn’t ever ridden in the passenger seat of his truck, but, staring out into the dark streets, he allowed himself to take a deep breath before a thought occurred to him.</p><p>“Liam, why are you out in the middle of the night anyway?” Theo watched as Liam tightened his grip on the steering wheel, his hands flushing red as his knuckles turned white. He wanted to yell at Liam to be careful with his truck again, but when Theo moved his line of sight to Liam’s face, he saw that his cheeks were a brighter red than before. It didn’t make sense to Theo because the heat was now on, protecting them from the last remains of the cold, and the sight of it made his concerns stay lodged in his throat.</p><p>“I was trying to find you.”</p><p>Theo didn’t even need to think about why he was, it was clear. “You and Scott worried that I was out terrorizing innocents?”</p><p>“No.” It was simple, and it left no room for discussion, if Liam’s tone was any indication. It was fine with Theo, for now, because he really couldn’t find any other reason as to why Liam would be searching for him. Except, however, it did leave Theo with another question –besides “why are you kidnapping me and giving me a bed for the night?”.</p><p>“He does know you’re out here, right? Don’t you need his approval before taking a strange man home in the middle of the night?” Theo smirked, hoping Liam would take the bait and reveal whatever was on his mind, whatever line of thinking provoked him into offering this, whatever caused him to come find him in the middle of the night.</p><p>Liam rolled his eyes, “You’re not <em>strange</em>, you’re <em>Theo</em>. And, I don’t need his permission.” He sounded unsure of himself, and Theo couldn’t help but be disappointed that he didn’t reveal the reason why he was out looking for him. It didn’t last for long, though, as his mind settled on “you’re <em>Theo</em>.” He felt butterflies in his stomach again. He wished, for only a second, that the Dread Doctors were there to dull his feelings again. Theo turned out to look out the window, a sour taste in his mouth. “I might if you’re going to be staying awhile, though.”</p><p>“What?” Theo’s head snapped back to view Liam. He felt nauseous, as though the so-called butterflies decided to speed up. His chest felt tight.</p><p>“You’re <em>homeless</em>, Theo.” Liam sighed, like it was boring, but Theo’s heart began racing again. “I am not going to let you be homeless, and you are not going to argue with me. My parents will be okay with it. Scott won’t be, he still thinks you could be a danger, though he trusts you to fight actual threats. Stiles definitely won’t be, but who cares, right?” Liam laughed a bit at this, though it sounded forced, as though he wanted to give space to Theo to calm his once-again-erratic heartbeat. It didn’t work, Theo still couldn’t settle his– Tara's heart. He was not going to be staying with Liam for long, he refused to –he didn’t deserve a bed. “Mason could get over it, maybe- Wait. No, no he wouldn’t. Because of Corey. Well, maybe. Malia would kill you if she knew. Lydia-.”</p><p>“Okay! Who says I want to be staying with you for long anyway?” Theo asked, anger rising in his throat. <em>God, this kid is annoying</em>.  Liam looked at him like he was stupid, which, Theo knew, he was not. It made him feel hot with... anger, yes, definitely anger, what else? “Eyes on the road!”</p><p>Liam turned away, towards the road, settling into a deep breath before clicking his tongue. <em>God</em>. “I don’t care what you want. I am offering you a bed. I will help you get a job, and then you can go if you are stable enough to.”</p><p>“Stable?” Theo laughed. He didn’t think he’d ever be stable.</p><p>“You know what I mean!” Liam gripped the wheel tight again, and Theo could smell anger from the boy again.</p><p>“Whatever. It won’t last long anyway if your pack doesn’t approve.” Theo resigned himself to this, sure of the fact that he wouldn’t have to deal with it for long.</p><p>“Then I won’t tell them. And neither will you.” Theo turned back to face Liam, who had a determined frown on his face.</p><p>“<em>Liam</em>. They are supernatural creatures. They have super hearing and a super sense of smell. Don’t you think they’d be able to tell that something is off? Plus, doesn’t that go against pack code or something? Not to mention that they know you. You aren’t a great liar.”</p><p>Liam shook his head, annoyed. “Whatever, Theo. Could you try being grateful?”</p><p>But that was the problem –he was grateful. He didn’t like owing anyone anything, and he already owed Liam enough. Before Liam, the last time he owed someone something was when he thought he owed the Dread Doctors. Look how that turned out. “I am already grateful enough to you, Liam. You don’t owe me anything else. I already owe you enough.”</p><p>“Theo, I am not doing this so you’ll do something for me. I don’t want you to do anything for me. I am doing this because I care. Maybe you can’t understand that, not yet, but you don’t need to. You might have thought you were paying me back by saving me from the ghost riders, but you didn’t have to, and you didn’t have to distract me by acting as a friend, either. You went out of your way for me, despite telling me you wouldn’t.” Silence. The <em>truth </em>revealed. “And even if you didn't do those things for me, you would still be my responsibility. I didn’t bring you back so you would live in a truck.” Liam cleared his throat, turning down the car’s heat, as if it was too much for him. Theo agreed -it was much too hot. “Plus, you can’t be prepared for a fight if you aren’t well rested.”</p><p>“Okay,” was all Theo could manage to say as he felt the need to sleep pull at him again. “Okay.” He felt safe. Safe for the first time in a long time. He found it ironic given that he was still in Beacon Hills and not in control of his own truck. Liam just had that effect, though. Through death threats, chains, and looks that told Theo that he hated him, Liam was the one to bring Theo out. He was the one that broke the sword so he couldn’t go back, and he was the one who advocated for him after the Ghost Riders left.</p><p>It was the first dreamless sleep that he had managed in a while. Maybe that was because it lasted as long as the rest of the drive back to Liam’s house, which wasn’t long, but Theo still felt a small rush of energy when he was woken up again, this time to Liam’s calm voice, not an angry one, and not loud knocking.</p><p>“We’re here, Theo, come on.” His voice was soft, and Theo didn’t think he had ever heard his own name said so many times. In fact, it had barely been said at all recently. It was like those who had reason to speak to him felt saying his name humanized him. Liam, apparently, didn’t have this problem. “Come on.” This time, he obliged, making him aware that he had been laying with his head on Liam’s arm. He did his best to ignore it, sitting up as Liam turned the car off and opened his own door, letting a gust of chilly wind in.</p><p>“Jesus,” Theo mumbled, quickly getting out to join him. He walked quietly behind Liam on the way to the front door. Liam still had Theo’s keys firmly in his hand, likely knowing that if he handed them back to Theo, he would take them and go.</p><p>The walk inside was also quiet. He followed Liam’s example, taking off his shoes at the front door, before examining the house for points of exit and entrapment, like he was trained. He realized quickly just how well-off Liam truly was. The house was big, with the living room opening up into a slick, two-countered kitchen. No doors, just wooden floors, expensive pieces of furniture, expensive kitchen ware, a large, flat tv, and a set of speakers. He almost lost Liam, distracted by the extravagance of it all. Even the house the Dread Doctors had rented for him hadn’t been as nice as this.</p><p>The thought reminds him of getting that house, telling the Doctors that he needed money to rent it and to pay actors to be his parents. It reminds him of how <em>awful</em> he was to those actors. He was just lucky he had buried the leftover money under the porch of that house. There was a new family in it when Theo was brought back, but Theo was able to get the money relatively easily. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to do more than pay for gas, car maintenance, laundry, and the gym’s shower.</p><p>“This way,” Liam said, bringing him out of his thoughts and back to the present. Theo followed Liam up a steep flight of stairs which opened into what looked like another living room, but much smaller and messier, before following him down a hallway with four doors. Liam walked all the way to the end of it before opening one. <em>His room,</em> Theo realized. “So, uh, you’ll just sleep in here tonight, with me. I might trust you with my life, <em>now</em>, but I don’t want to let you out of my sight yet.” The silent <em>Not with my parents in the house</em> didn’t need to be said.</p><p>Liam sighed, bringing a hand up to his face only to drag it down, over it, and down the front of his torso until he reached the hem of his shirt. Theo swallowed, watching timidly, which wasn’t like Theo in the least, as Liam took off his shirt. “I also am tired as fuck. I’ve had a long day, and I’m sure you’re tired too. I’m not going to set up the air mattress tonight, so we’re just gonna have to share the bed for now.”</p><p>Theo coughed, which was embarrassing, but he at least had his chemo signals, mostly, under his control now. “Whatever,” he managed, unconvincingly.</p><p>“Get comfortable, I will give you a tour tomorrow, and you’ll meet my parents. They’ll let you stay either way, but be nice.” Liam climbed into his bed, which was already unmade. Theo obliged, like he had been all night, and laid down next to Liam in his bed. He tried to keep his heart steady, but when he found that Liam’s was beating wildly as well, even though he seemed relaxed, Theo decided not to hide it –it didn’t matter.</p><p>The last thing on his mind before he drifted off to the sound of Liam’s slowing heart, and two more steady ones, was how Liam confessed to Theo that he trusted him with his life. A trust not actually earned, Theo was sure, but it didn’t matter, because there he was, going to sleep next to him.</p><p>[<em>end flashback</em>]**</p><p> </p><p>Watching Liam stand uncomfortably in his own house made Theo clench his fists tight in anxiety. It was obvious to Theo that the little wolf was afraid that, if he drove him to a pack meeting, it would clue them in on the fact that something was up. He was embarrassed that Theo was living with him now, and Theo didn’t blame him. Maybe he would’ve, once upon a time, but now he just sighed, sealing his eyes shut, his earlier offer at the front of his mind.</p><p>“Or not, Liam. I won’t drive you. It’s fine. I get it.” Theo forcefully shrugged off the tightness in his body, as if to say <em>Yeah, it’s cool, Liam! Go pretend I don’t exist like everyone else.  </em>He started to walk back to Liam’s room… Theo’s temporary room. He wanted to do something nice for him, which is why he had offered, but he understood that this wasn’t exactly nice if it brought stress to the pup.</p><p>“Theo!” Liam yelled, anger and regret wafting from him. Theo turned back, forcing a smirk onto his face and meeting Liam’s eyes. He heard a ghost of a voice say, <em>Appearances.</em> “Thanks, for offering, it’s just… you know the pack wouldn’t like it. I don’t want them giving us crap if they were to find out that you... well, that you live here now.” Theo couldn’t help but look away from Liam’s gaze. <em>Us</em>. “Not that I think they’d let you be homeless, but… well, I don’t know.”</p><p>“It’s fine. I understand. Just wanted to do something for you. After everything.” Theo shrugged again, like it was <em>no big deal</em>, before turning to walk up the stairs to their shared room. He blocked out the sound of Liam sighing and putting the refrigerate-ables in the fridge quickly –Theo couldn’t bother with feeling guilty about not helping right now– before heading out the door. He ignored the sound of Liam stopping to say “This is so stupid,” before beginning to run to the McCall house. He told himself that he ignored it, at least, but, in reality, he heard it all, just as he was sure that Liam heard Theo telling himself to suck it up. Theo chose to distract himself with the guise of studying Liam’s room. It was only his first day here but Theo couldn’t shrug the feeling of safety the house gave him –that the room gave him.</p><p>Jenna and David had agreed easily, not wanting a kid to be out on the street, and even told him they would decorate the guest room, which connected to Liam’s through a bathroom, apparently a room originally for Liam’s older step-sister. That’s why they had sent out Liam and Theo for groceries today, so Theo could pick out paint that he liked. So quick they were willing to call their home Theo’s. So quick Liam was okay with that. Their only stipulation was that Liam had to be okay with sharing his room until the guest room was ready for Theo, and Liam had readily agreed.</p><p>It felt so weird, being friendly with the little wolf, shopping with him, watching tv with him, waking up <em>with </em>him, but after a full night’s rest for the first time in…. Well Theo isn’t sure when the last time he slept through the night was, so he really couldn’t have been expected to keep up the façade of tough guy -not with Liam, anyway. Sure, he had to share the bed but it was much more comfortable than the backseat of his truck. And it was the first time since he was out that he slept in a house –the first time since he was nine that he slept more than four hours in a bed– and the sound of three other steady heartbeats reminded him of a time where he was happy, when he had two parents and a sister.</p><p>Theo took a deep breath and let himself fall onto Liam’s bed to watch tv, instead of setting up the air mattress, because, according to Liam, he had a lot to catch up on. It would be two or three hours before Liam got home, so he had time.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>—LIAM—</strong><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>[<em>flashback</em>]**</p><p>Liam woke that morning to the distinct scent of Theo, noticing it before even opening his eyes. His face was nuzzled in something soft, which he would’ve thought was his pillow if not for the obvious second heartbeat resting against his chest. Last night hadn’t been a dream. He really went searching for Theo because of a nightmare and then invited him to live with him. <em>Great. Fuck. </em>And now he had his body wrapped around Theo’s. Opening his eyes, he saw that Theo was stretched out as much as he could, despite being wrapped up in Liam. He couldn’t help but gaze at him, studying him. <em>Peaceful and beautiful for a murderer. Beautiful? A murderer. Whom I let into my house. With my parents. Parents!</em></p><p>As much as Liam found himself wanting to lay in bed, contemplating it for a number of reasons, one being that he wasn’t sure if he should leave Theo alone, he quietly removed himself and left to go meet his parents, needing to catch them before they left for work. Untangling himself in a way as to not wake up Theo was difficult, especially when he was sure that his heart was screaming out of his chest in such a way that anyone with normal hearing would be able to tell. With one last look at Theo’s sleeping face, Liam left his room silently before walking down the hall and stairs, careful not to hit any of the spots that creaked, just in case. He was happy to see his parents in the kitchen making breakfast. He smiled sheepishly at them.</p><p>He was so sure last night that they would accept Theo without a second thought, but now he wasn’t. And he wasn’t as sure about his decision anymore either. It really didn’t matter what Liam had started to feel for Theo, he still had done unspeakable things. He killed Scott... though Liam had helped him. Even though everyone forgave Liam for that, blaming Theo, he never stopped feeling guilty. He never would.</p><p>Maybe that’s why he found it so easy, compared to the rest of the pack, to give Theo a second chance –that, and he was hoping his choice to bring him back from whatever hell the Skinwalkers had put him in wouldn’t backfire on him. It didn’t seem to be headed in that direction, but Liam still wanted to be cautious, and, yeah, maybe bringing him into his home wasn’t the most cautious, but it couldn’t be helped. Was Liam really expected to leave Theo homeless?</p><p>Liam walked closer to his parents as they wrapped their arms around Liam. “Good morning, sweetheart.”</p><p>“Morning,” he says against his dad’s chest before pulling back. “I had a friend sleepover that I want to talk to you guys about.”</p><p>“Oh. A girl? You and Hayden back together?” His mom asked, making Liam’s face scrunch up. <em>Hayden</em>. Hayden had broken up with him after the Ghost Riders left. She didn’t think it was safe in Beacon Hills anymore, and she was right, but she told Liam that she would have felt better about it if Theo was back in the ground. Liam, on the other hand, didn’t want to send Theo back. They had come to an understanding; they had saved each other. So, it was his own fault when Hayden had broken up with him in front of the pack and Theo and told him that she was going to move away with her sister.</p><p>“No,” Liam said carefully. “No, not back with Hayden, and not a girl. My....” Liam stopped himself, unsure of what to call Theo. “My friend, Theo, is the one who slept over. I went for a walk last night, which I know isn’t safe, I’m sorry, but I found him sleeping in his truck.”</p><p>Liam watched as the looks on his parents’ faces fell. “You did the right thing, Liam,” his stepfather said, placing a firm hand on Liam’s shoulder. “Are you two close?”</p><p>Liam didn’t know exactly what to tell them without lying to them. No, they weren’t close, but Liam was probably the person that Theo was closest to. No, they weren’t <em>friends</em>, but if they weren’t <em>something</em>, Liam wouldn't have cared enough to bring him into his own home. He had gotten used to hiding things from his parents, which wasn’t good for his IED, but he had to. Liam didn’t think that they would react well to him being a werewolf –their son, with extreme anger issues, suddenly something that people view as a monster? He finally settled on, “We would die for each other,” because it was true, in a way. Liam wasn’t sure it was absolutely true, but it was the closest he could get to the truth without giving them the full picture, and, if Liam had given them the full picture, they wouldn’t accept Theo anyway.</p><p>Liam’s mom nodded. “Okay, sweetie. Then he’ll have a home here, if that is what he needs.”</p><p>“Are you sure?” Liam asked, sounding hesitant.</p><p>His parents looked at each other, having a conversation with their eyes, as they often did. Liam felt a brief prickle of pain in his chest, Hayden now fresh in his mind. Still looking at each other, his dad spoke first, “Of course, Liam. He’s homeless, right?” Liam nodded. “Then go wake him up and get him down here before we leave for work.”</p><p>Liam felt his own lips turn up, smiling. He turned on his heel and ran to his room, excited. He only stopped once he reached his bedroom door. What was he going to tell Mason? Yes, it would be bad to hide this from Scott, especially since he tried his best never to lie to him, but Mason? Mason was his best friend. How could he lie to him after promising to never lie again? But, how could he tell him the truth? Shaking his head, he pushed open the door to his room.</p><p>Theo was still sleeping on his bed, but he didn’t look comfortable anymore. His body was scrunched up into a ball, leaving most of the bed empty.  Liam’s brow furrowed in concern. “Theo?” He spoke softly, as if afraid to wake him up, even though he was, indeed, trying to wake him up. Liam cleared his throat and stepped closer. Theo didn’t look evil now, sleeping on his bed. He looked as beautiful as he did when Liam first woke up, but instead of at peace, he looked haunted. He recognized it as one he often saw in the mirror: guilt.</p><p>Liam had seen it before on Theo, and he knew it was always lying below the surface of the unbothered shell that he usually presented, but this felt more personal. He sat down on the edge of the bed, trying to swallow past the lump he felt in his throat. “Theo.”</p><p>Liam watched as Theo stirred, stretching out and stifling a yawn. He felt the ends of his mouth quirk into a smirk. “Morning,” Theo grumbled, something resembling a smile on his face. It reminded him of the time the whole pack, plus Theo, had slept over at Scott’s house when they were trying to figure out the Dread Doctors.</p><p>“Good morning. My parents are downstairs and about to leave for work but they want to talk to you first.” Liam figured it was best to get straight to the point.</p><p>Theo nodded, jumping up quickly from the bed. “Do I have time to change?”</p><p>Liam scrunched his nose, “No. You can change after you shower.”</p><p>“Okay, just didn’t want to meet your parents in clothes that I have been wearing for two days.” Liam’s eyes widen, surprised. He hadn’t even thought about what Theo being homeless meant for things like daily hygiene. His mind, also, involuntarily, latched onto the phrase “meet your parents.” Shaking his head clear, Liam stands up, and begins leading the way.</p><p>“It’s fine. They have me for a son, they don’t really care.” And what he meant by this was that after he had ruined his old coach’s car, and come home time and time again covered in sweat, dirt, and what they didn’t know was blood, they had begun to become indifferent to small things like not changing clothes or showering daily.</p><p>Liam led him down the stairs and saw his parents sitting down at the dining room table, talking in hushed tones. He could easily use his werewolf hearing to listen in, but he didn’t think it would make much of a difference, seeing how as Theo and Liam were about to reach them. When they reached the bottom, a pit grew in his stomach, and Liam turned back to face Theo. “Be nice.”</p><p>Theo responded in a grin. Strangely enough, it settled the hollow, sick feeling that he had been experiencing, now replaced with annoyance. “Of course.” Liam shook his head and turned back around to finish walking to the table, where his parents were now looking at them with expectant smiles. “Mrs. and Dr. Geyer, it’s so nice to meet you,” Theo smiled, reaching a hand over the table to shake their hands. They gladly took them.</p><p>“Jenna and David, please,” his mom replied. Theo didn’t know them well enough to recognize the worried looks in their eyes, but Liam did. He was well-familiarized with it. “Please, sit.”</p><p>Theo and Liam both sat down, plates of food in front of them, but he wasn’t hungry, not yet. Theo no longer had a smile on his face, and he could smell anxiety coming from him. Suddenly he was glad that Scott made him train to identify chemo-signals.</p><p>“The food looks great,” Liam says, hoping to break the tension, which was hanging in the air so thick that he thought he could cut off a piece and take a bite of it. His stepfather laughs.</p><p>“Thank you, Liam. I hope you don’t have any allergies, Theo.”</p><p>“Uh, no. Not that I know of anyway. But this should be good, thank you.” Liam watches as Theo takes a bite. The rest of the table stays quiet, as if they weren’t sure how to proceed with conversation. “So... I wasn’t intending to impose on anyone. It’s why I never said anything. You don’t have to let me stay; I would completely understand if not. I actually tried to get Liam to leave me.”</p><p>Liam sighed. He was starting to feel like Theo, who once happily used them all, wasn’t willing to use Liam for a simple warm bed, and it was annoying the hell out of him. He watched as his parents looked at each other with equally stunned faces. He could've sworn he saw tears starting in his mother’s eyes. “Sweetie, Liam did the right thing. I’m glad he found you. Of course, we will want to get to know you, make sure you’re a good influence on our son, but we want you to stay. We were just talking about how we want to decorate our daughter’s old room for you. We’ve used it as the guest room before, so she really doesn’t need it. We obviously can’t force you to stay, but we want you to.”</p><p>Liam lifts up his glass of orange juice to his lips, feeling out of place in this conversation when he notices Theo starting to cry. The sight made his heart jump, and it, in turn, meaning Theo was listening, made Theo look at him. Liam felt dizzy despite sitting still in his seat. It was just a couple months ago that he had killed Scott, and Liam had sworn to get revenge. A lot had changed since then. He not only had saved his life, but they had saved each other. Still, having these conflicting feelings inside of himself for Theo was not going to be good, he could already tell.</p><p>Before he knew it, his mom was standing up and walking around the table. Liam felt Theo tense beside him as his mom wrapped him in his arms. Liam watched the scene unfold with wide eyes. It reminded him of when he and Mason introduced them to Corey. They had always treated Mason as a second son, and when they found out that Corey’s parents weren’t good to him, they invited him over as much as possible. Of course, that was before summer started. Now Corey and Mason were always together.</p><p>“I don’t deserve this,” Theo choked out, but Liam noted how he was leaning into his mom’s hug now. He felt his own emotions pushing at his eyes, wanting to break through as he was reminded of all the times his mom hugged him like that after an episode, or after a run-in with his birth father.</p><p>“Everyone deserves a home,” Liam’s dad said firmly, bringing him out of his memories. “You are no exception.”</p><p>“Any friend of Liam is welcome here,” his mom added. <em>Friend. </em>Because that’s what they were, right? Liam sighed heavily, earning him a weird look from his dad. Theo shook his head against her chest, as if denying that they were friends. Liam didn’t blame him. They had met almost a year ago, and that time had been anything but a way to get to know each other like friends do. Despite that, they had formed what outsiders would call a friendship. Really, it was more like a familial, uneasy alliance. An attempted fist bump crosses his mind.</p><p>Theo straightened, his mom loosening her grip. “I don’t really know what to say. Nobody has ever cared enough to…. Thank you.” Liam curled his fingers into fists as a warmth bloomed in his chest. Suddenly, he felt like he understood Theo, which seemed absurd. How do you understand a murderer? But Theo was just a kid, like him. Scott had forgiven much worse.</p><p>“Of course, son,” his stepfather stood up from the table, taking the finished dishes to the sink. “We have to get to work, but we’re leaving money and a list for you kids. We’ll all have opportunity to get to know each other tomorrow at dinner. We can talk more about setting up your room then, Theo. For now, pick out some paint. You’ll have to room with Liam, for now, as long as that’s okay with him.” He crossed over back to the table, where Liam and Theo were still sitting. He pulled Liam in for a hug and place a reassuring hand on Theo’s shoulder.</p><p>//</p><p>Liam sat at the table, an empty plate in front of him. His parents had left fifteen minutes ago, and there was a tangible silence in the air. Theo sat still beside him, staring down his empty glass of orange juice with a scowl on his face. He cleared his throat, ready to speak, but before he could, Theo beat him to it. “Friend?”</p><p>Liam felt surprised. Surprised that the first thing that Theo says since his parents left was addressing whether or not they were friends. He shook his head and sighed. “Theo, I don’t know what we are. I’m not sure I would say that we’re friends, yet, but obviously you’re not the same person you were. It doesn’t mean I forgive you, but I still care about what happens to you.”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“'<em>Wh</em><em>y</em>?' Theo, you really don’t know the first thing about friendship, do you?”</p><p>“You just said that we aren’t friends, so.”</p><p>“Right, but I said that we’re getting there. It’s just something I’ve observed. You begged Scott to save you when you were falling into the Skinwalker’s Prison, like he actually would save you. You expected him to act as a friend to you despite you literally killing him. You had no gauge on what was acceptable behavior between friends, your perception twisted by years with the Dread Doctors, and even your short time with Deucalion. You don’t understand how to care.” Liam inwardly winced right as he was done speaking. He shouldn’t have said anything, and that became abundantly clear at Theo’s tensing shoulders. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said-.”</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Theo interrupted. “You’re right. Being in hell, it burned out what they did to me... gave me back memories that we’re long gone. The stuff I used to resurrect Corey and Hayden, they used it on me too. A lot. I didn’t know. After a while... well it was made from- so it takes away.... I’m learning. I want to learn.”</p><p>Liam waited for any sign of lying –his heart skipping a beat, his eyes shifting down, anything. Theo was, arguably, the best liar Liam had ever met, but that was before Liam brought him back. Now, he had trouble controlling himself, more like a real, bitten werewolf, and Liam had taken up the habit of studying Theo to know exactly how this new Theo worked. He nodded, finding no lie. “I’ll help.” Liam stood up, grabbing his and Theo’s plates. “It looks like we’ll be roommates for a while, then.”</p><p>Theo joined him at double sink, rolling up his sleeves. “Yeah. Are you okay with that?” Liam hands him a freshly washed plate for him to dry.</p><p>Liam shrugs. “I basically forced you into coming here. Why wouldn’t I be?” Theo hummed, absentminded drying off dishes that Liam hands him. It isn’t long before they finish, and, turning to Theo, he can’t help but grin. “This means I have less chores too.” His grin widens, in, what Liam can only guess is, a maniacal way, as Theo’s face drops.</p><p>“No,” Theo shakes his head, turning away and walking towards the stairs. Liam starts to laugh. “You’re not gonna pawn your work onto me.”</p><p>“If you help, I’ll split my allowance with you!” Liam yells after him, still laughing.</p><p>Theo stops at the base of the stairs and grunts. “Fine. You still have to help me find a job, though.” Liam let’s his face show his surprise as he meets Theo on the stairs and they walk up together. “You said you would.”</p><p>“Yeah, I just didn’t think you’d accept my help.” Theo smirks, as if he knew exactly why Liam was surprised.</p><p>“Might as well. The sooner I have a job, the sooner I can leave,” he shrugs, but Liam knows that Theo is grateful, even if he doesn’t show it. Crying in his mom’s hug showed him that. “Can I shower now?” He asks as they enter Liam’s room. Liam just nods, grabbing a towel off a shelf in the corner of his room and tossing it to him. Theo rummages through the bag he brought in last night before pulling out some clothes and entering the bathroom. He closes the door behind him and Liam hears the lock click.</p><p>Liam falls onto his bed, back first, spreading his arms out. He wants to let out a scream. This all seemed relatively too intimate for two people who aren’t friends, but he had to get used to it for now. He drags his hands over his eyes before sitting up and reaching for the tv remote. He figured he should kill some time while Theo showers. After changing the tv input, though, he stares at the blank screen, his mind wandering.</p><p>Liam hadn’t really allowed himself much time to think about Theo’s past, although his mind did its best to try. Theo would pop up in his thoughts at such random times that Liam began to wonder if it was something supernatural. That was crazy, of course, especially since he was able to push the thoughts away every time. Now, though, he couldn’t keep them at bay.</p><p>
  <em>The stuff that brought them back to life.... It darkened them. It wasn’t just dying. Scott died and he still knew what was right. Hayden and Corey thought Theo was the right choice, even after hearing what he did. Tracy was a 4.0 student and the only murdering she did before being brought back to life was because she was in a night terror. The stuff came from Mr. Douglas’ cage or whatever, so it would make sense that it took some of his dna in it. A psychopathic cocktail. No wonder Theo was so messed up. Not to mention Deucalion, at Scott’s behest, talked Theo into killing Tracy and Josh. Oh my god.</em>
</p><p>Liam felt sick at the realization. Obviously, logically, there was no way that Scott would have known that Deucalion would have done that.... But, on the other hand, it was almost so obvious that a murderer as bad as that would have resorted to more murder. <em>Did Scott want them to die?</em></p><p>He felt anger mix in with the sticky, sour feeling in the pit of his gut. He pushed it to the side the best he could, focusing instead on the heartbeat that came from the other room, willing the sound to ground him, anchor him. After a few minutes, he felt like he was able to breathe again, so he finally picked up his controller and started to play.</p><p>The time goes by relatively fast after that, if the clock on the tv has any say. It reads 9:00, which makes Liam frown. Liam was pretty sure that Theo went in at around 8. He pauses his playing and rolls off the bed, but instead of hopping up, he hits the ground face first and groans. “Stupid,” he mumbles under his breath at himself. Pushing himself off the ground he calls out, “Theo? Are you okay?”</p><p>When he doesn’t get a response, he walks up to the locked door and grabs the key off the top of the frame. “Theo?’ He knocks loudly, but still gets no response. He can hear the water still running, and hears Theo’s steady heartbeat. “I’m coming in!” Liam sighs, not really wanting to get punched for invading Theo’s personal space.</p><p>As soon as he opens the door, he is hit with a face full of steam, and he silently curses. His own shower would have to be quick if Theo had the hot water on this entire time. “Theo,” he calls again. This time, he hears Theo’s heartbeat jump.</p><p>“Shit! Shit, sorry.” He hears Theo struggling to stand up against a slippery tub. Liam lets himself imagine for a second how Theo would look right now, if he could see him. No doubt, not the confident, never-missing-a-step guy that he’s used to seeing, but, also, wet and nude. The thought was brief, though, cut off by Theo exclaiming, again, “Shit,” and this time he sees him grab ahold of the curtain to pull himself up, almost tearing it down.</p><p>“Did you fall asleep in the shower?” Liam asks, feeling an unreasonable sense of anger rise in his stomach, like it was a terrible thing for him to do. He takes a deep breath, trying to ignore the heat and the suffocating feeling of the humid air. “Dude, I thought you slept okay last night.”</p><p>Liam can feel the air turn ten degrees cooler as Theo curses under his breath –he turned it cold water. “I did. But considering that it was the first time I’ve slept in a bed in god knows how long, it’s safe to say that I’m still tired.” The shower turns off just as Theo says “tired,” putting an emphasis on the end, and Liam suddenly becomes aware that he is standing in a room with a completely naked Theo.</p><p>“Alright, you can sleep some before we leave later, then,” he says, exiting the bathroom and shutting it loudly behind him, letting Theo know that he was safe to get out. Liam doesn’t know what to do then, so he sits back down on his bed awkwardly. He tries not to seem like he is waiting for him to finish in the bathroom, but his efforts likely only make it more obvious.</p><p>When Theo finally exits the bathroom, eyes faced towards the floor and hair dripping, Liam has his legs crossed, his left elbow placed firmly on the top knee, and the same arm propping up his head, which is face towards the bathroom, despite his knees and feet pointing towards the tv. It’s a very uncomfortable position, and he can’t help but chuckle at himself slightly when Theo looks up to face him, a small smile in his eyes. “I would ask if you saved any hot water for me, but I think we both know the answer to that,” Liam jokes, hopping up and grabbing some clothes and a towel off his shelf. “I have video games cued up, but I also have some books you might like over on my bookshelf. I know you like reading.”</p><p>//</p><p>When Liam finishes showering, twenty minutes later, he comes back into the room to Theo laying down on one side of the bed, legs crossed, back against the headboard, and a book in his hands. Liam doesn’t bother saying anything. He remembers how Theo acted once, before he revealed his true intentions to the pack, when Liam tried approaching him in the library. He drops down on the bed, keeping to his side, grabbing the remote from under his pillow before fulling laying back. He begins quietly, “So, I was thinking-.”</p><p>“Don’t hurt yourself.”</p><p>“while I was in the shower-”</p><p>“Oooo, good for you,” his voice slightly suggestive. Liam ignored it.</p><p>“that you didn’t get to have the influence of movies growing up, all isolated in evil labs and all, and it probably didn’t help your emotional intelligence.” Liam smirked, knowing that he had stunned Theo into silence, his book now laying on his chest.</p><p>“That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard, Liam,” Theo says slowly, wiping the smirk off of Liam’s face and taking it for his own. “If I was so isolated then how was I able to con an alpha werewolf into thinking I was normally socialized as a kid?”</p><p>Liam furrowed his brows in confusion. “So, you’ve seen movies?” Theo remains silent, his face now neutral, before picking up his book again. Liam recognizes something off in his eyes, and realizes that the reason Theo wasn’t answering was because he didn’t want to lie. Liam grins, “Okay, so, there’s a movie that came out in January. It’s based on the woman who created the code that took humans to the moon. I have been wanting to watch it since it came out, but everyone else always wants to watch something else.”</p><p>Theo huffed, “It doesn’t seem like I have a choice.” Liam frowned, not wanting to watch it alone if Theo really wasn’t interested. He was about to turn back to the tv and continue scrolling for options when Theo places his book on the nightstand. Liam continues to stare at him, still unsure, frowning, until Theo nudges him with his shoulder, a smirk on his face. Liam grins and presses play.</p><p>//</p><p>When Liam opens his eyes again, the end credits are rolling. He feels a prick of disappointment in his heart before moving closer to the person next to him, absentmindedly. When the person tenses, his memory returns and he realizes that it’s Theo. Theo’s head was against Liam’s arm, but, now, he watches as he yawns and sits up. “We both fell asleep,” Liam pouts, ignoring the awkwardness that he might have created by scootching closer.</p><p>“That sucks, I was actually enjoying it,” Theo says, his deep frown matching Liam’s. This, oddly enough, makes Liam smile.</p><p>“We’ll watch it later. Or tomorrow.” Liam picks up his phone of the nightstand, where it had been lying since before Liam went to bed the night before. He silently chastised himself for forgetting to check it, but, in his defense, there had been a lot going on. His lock screen, which was a picture of him and Mason, lit up to read 11:27, as well as ten text messages from Mason telling him to ask Scott for pizza at the pack meeting tonight. He groans and texts out a quick reply to him, and then moves to text Scott that Mason wants a pizza night. It’s only when he feels eyes on him that he looks up, only to find Theo grimacing, eyes on Liam’s phone.</p><p>“You’re not going to be able to lie to them, Liam,” Theo answers the question that must have been written on his face. Liam knew he was right, but he didn’t have much choice.</p><p>“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”</p><p>Liam stand up off the bed, unplugging his phone, before heading to the bathroom, mainly to hide for a minute. “I’m serious. You don’t know how to lie. I don’t want to get in between you and your pack again either,” Theo calls after him.</p><p>“Let me worry about that, Theo.”</p><p>//</p><p>They decided to eat first. Two were-somethings need to eat more than a regular human, anyway, and they had only eaten a small breakfast this morning, only made smaller by the fact that Liam’s parents thought they were cooking for three, not four. So, he chooses to order in so they can finish the movie before going shopping. He had wanted to get an early start on the day. He had the day planned the night before: go for a morning run, read a book, train with Scott before the meeting, study for the upcoming semester of school, and ask Mason if he wanted to go the beach after the meeting, intending to stay the weekend there. That, of course, all changed when he found Theo. As well as his plan to only eat the protein snacks his parents bought him throughout the day until dinner.</p><p>It was okay, he wasn’t mad, it was probably a good thing, but he was wondering how he was supposed to pay for his part of the pizza now that they ordered lunch. Theo and Liam were now sitting in the living room with the rest of their movie playing. He couldn’t help but notice how close they were sitting despite a wide variety of places to sit. It was obvious to him now –he was attracted to Theo. Not that he would ever act on it, because an attraction is all it was, and he wasn’t going to risk himself and his pack on a fling.</p><p>Liam pulled out his phone and selected the “text Scott” suggestion at the top of his screen, right next to the “text Mason” one. Their training session was supposed to be at 4, and Liam might be able to make it, but it was already close to two, and they still had to get groceries, so he didn’t want to risk it.</p><p>As he was texting Scott, a text from Mason popped up on his screen “dude, I just passed your house, why was Theo’s truck there?”</p><p>“Shit!” Theo snapped his head towards him, and Liam heard as his previous calm heartbeat begun to race. “Sorry, it’s okay.” He reached over to grab the remote and pause the tv. “Mason texted saying he saw your truck outside.”</p><p>“Oh. Tell him you found me while you were out on a run and asked for a ride back so you could check on me.” Theo laughs, like it is no big deal. He feels himself wanting to snap at him. Lying, to Liam, is a big deal. It always has been, anyway. He can’t really get mad at Theo for expecting him to lie when Liam told him he was planning on it, plus, Liam had been lying to his parents for over a year now.</p><p>“Maybe I could tell Mason the truth. He would want to tell Corey, but I’d be okay with that. They both would keep it a secret.”</p><p>“It’s your choice. But if you really don’t want to tell Scott, I would think about the fact that Mason isn’t supernatural, and might not be able to keep his heartbeat in control.”</p><p>Liam knew he was right, but he also knew that keeping this a secret from Mason and Corey would be next to impossible. Scott rarely came to his house to hang out because they often liked to talk about, or do, werewolf stuff. Mason and Liam didn’t have that problem, and had plans to hang out at Liam’s house every other day. If they didn’t know, what would be his excuse?</p><p>His brow scrunched as he lost himself in thought, his hand mindlessly tapping on the remote, still in his hand. Liam wasn’t aware of Theo watching him, his eyes still staring down at his phone. “Are we ever going to actually watch this, Liam?”</p><p>Liam’s brow furrowed even more as he turned his attention to Theo, who was staring at him like he had something on his face, but he couldn’t help but smile. He stopped tapping and was fully aware that he probably had the dopiest look on his face, but he didn’t even bother to remove it. He laughed as Theo’s eyes widened in surprise. “What?”</p><p>“You actually want to watch this with me?”</p><p>“Did you think I would be sitting here watching it if I didn’t?”</p><p>Liam shrugs, still grinning. “I thought you were doing it to try to be nice.” And now that he said it, he knew that sounded ridiculous. Or it would. But Liam had gotten used to the idea that Theo liked to do things for him -yes, maybe <em>only</em> for him, but it was still being nice all the same.</p><p>Theo smirks. “I was. But I’ve come to the decision that I don’t do anything that I don’t want to do anymore.” Liam’s grin drops, but he keeps their eye contact, never letting go of the admiration in his eyes. That’s when he comes to his own decision. Liam wants to keep this to himself; he wants to be able to enjoy whatever bond the two of them share without outside input, and he wants to be able to feel attracted to Theo without Mason seeing right through him. And he was, even though he usually hated it. Right now was not one of those moments, with his hair messed up from sleep and his eyes and smile sparkling with the same shine that meant he was happy. His black hoodie was also rumpled up, exposing a bit of the skin on his stomach as he sat with his legs folded up in the couch, leaning on Liam’s.</p><p>He felt blush creep up the sides of his face when he meets Theo’s eyes again, after having just looked him up and down. “Okay. I’ll tell him what you said. Let’s watch the movie.” And it felt like a secret. Like their secret, especially when Theo blushed right back at him.</p><p>//</p><p>“Okayyyy,” Liam began as they stepped inside the store, shoulder to shoulder. “Should we split up or stick together?”</p><p>“I’d say split up incase we run into one of your friends, but I’ve never been here before, so I don’t know what I’m getting.”</p><p>“What?! How have you never been here?” Theo shrugs, and Liam groans. “Right, okay. Stick together then. Let’s go pick out paint first!” Liam threads his arm through Theo’s, ignoring the way that both of their bodies tense at the connection, because neither pull away. “This way.”</p><p>Liam weaves them through the wide aisles skillfully, making it obvious that he knows where he is going, until they come to an aisle with colorful cards lining the walls of it. He immediately walks up to the greens, arm disconnecting, feeling drawn there, but Theo walks up to the blues. Liam tears his eyes away from the colors to look at Theo who has a confused look on his face. He takes a deep breath and realizes that Theo is giving off multiple chemo signals, and it’s overwhelming. He can only imagine what it’s like to actually feel that way. “What do you like?” He asks, seemingly aware that Liam has taken an interest in him again.</p><p>He blushes, “I think your main color should be something creamy. Like beige but brighter.”</p><p>Theo smirks, “Why? Because I’m not?”</p><p>“No! No because I think it suits you. This deep sea-green also suits you, it matches your eyes. Or, maybe there’s a color that suits you more… you could pick a black if you want….” Theo snorts before quickly covering his mouth with his hands. Liam facepalms realizing that he just implied that black suits Theo, confirming Theo’s earlier question… it’s true, but still. Then, as if shopping with Theo couldn’t get anymore weird, Liam blushes a deep red because he just commented on Theo’s eyes. <em>Shit</em>.</p><p>“What if we got a couple different colors? I’ll get this creamy color, this green that you like, and this blue.”  Liam looked closely at the colors that Theo placed in his hands and smiled. The blue was like a sky blue, but not quite.</p><p>“The blue matches <em>my</em> eyes,” Liam realized.</p><p>“I know.” Liam froze in place as Theo took the colors from his hands and walked away to quietly examine the darker colors. He shouldn’t care, after all, Liam had just said that he noticed Theo’s eyes, but the fact that Theo wanted a color on his wall that matched Liam’s eyes made his stomach feel warm. Liam half-jogged across the aisle to catch up with him.</p><p>“I want to repaint my room after we’re done with yours, actually. If you don’t use that green color I think I will.” Really, Liam wanted to have the same effect on Theo that he just had on him, but he also meant it. His colors were a bland white right now. It looked like it worked, however, as Liam watched a deep blush make its way up Theo’s face, as well as a soft smile. He met Liam’s eyes only for a moment before handing him the green and grabbing a black card instead.</p><p>It surprised Liam, how much this seemed normal to him. Just yesterday Theo was someone that he wasn’t sure wouldn’t murder people. Now? Now he had seen him blush and cry. It, weirdly, made him more secure in his choice to not tell anyone. He wanted these moments experiencing Theo for the first time without outside interference. And Theo Raeken, first chimera and evil murderer, had the most adorable blush he had ever seen.</p><p>“Why do you drag us to the paint aisle every time we come here?” The familiar voice rang in Liam’s ears. At first, he prayed that he had imagined it due to some messed up form of anxiety, but then he heard Corey’s voice too.</p><p>“You should really be used to it by now, if I do it every time.”</p><p>“Shit!” Liam whispered, grabbing Theo’s arm and to run down the aisle in the opposite direction that he had just heard Mason and Corey coming from.</p><p>“Liam, what are you—. Shit.” They turn into the next aisle just in time and pause to listen.</p><p>“Yeah, you’re right, I just like complaining about it. Should I call Liam?”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“Because Theo’s truck was in his driveway?”</p><p>“Yeah, it was probably werewolf business.”</p><p>“Except he never texted me back, he always texts me back. And he left me on read.”</p><p>“You’re right, call him. It is Theo we’re talking about.”</p><p>Liam cursed under his breath and pulled Theo faster away from his best friends while digging his phone out, preparing for the call. It started ringing as soon as it was in his sight, prompting him to hit the volume button so it wouldn’t ring out loud. Liam looked around, trying to find a quiet place to answer, before Theo pulled him to a janitor’s closet. Liam answers.</p><p>“Hey, Mase!”</p><p>“Hey, you never answered my text.”</p><p>“Oh, shit! Really? I swear I sent it, sorry, I was busy. I was out running and ran into Theo. I figured I would get a ride out of him and talk to him, make sure he’s not out killing people, ya know.” Liam said, trying to focus on taking to Mason, but Theo was snickering in front of him.</p><p>“Right! Okay, that makes so much sense.”</p><p>“It does? I mean, yeah, but why?”</p><p>“I was just starting to think that he killed you or something. Or that you were hanging out with him. I know you have a soft spot for him, but you know he isn’t gonna change.”</p><p>Liam scoffed. “I do not have a ‘soft spot’ for Theo.” Liam watched as Theo’s frown turned into a smirk. Liam kicks him in the shin, making Theo laugh.</p><p>“You do, but it’s okay. It doesn’t cloud your judgement. It was stupid to think that you’d be hanging out with him.”</p><p>Liam rolls his eyes at the sharp pain of guilt in his gut. “Totally. Okay, Mason. I gotta go.”</p><p>“Okay, bye! Love you!”</p><p>“Love you too.” Liam quickly hung up the phone, and was immediately met with Theo laughing again. “Shut up, asshole.”</p><p>“You have a soft spot for me?” Theo laughed again. Liam felt heat rising in his face. He was incredibly close in proximity to Theo right now, too close. It reminded Liam of scenes in movies where two characters would find a closet to make out in. It also reminded him, painfully, of Hayden.</p><p>Instead of denying it, which would have made Theo laugh more, Liam had a feeling that confirming would shut him up. “Obviously. Do you think I invite every homeless person who tried to destroy my pack into my bed?”</p><p>He was right. Theo’s mouth snapped shut, and it was his turn to blush. “Are there a lot of those?”</p><p>“I don’t know, probably. I don’t really care about <em>them</em>, though.” Liam shrugged and turned to open the door, knowing that Theo was shocked and would need a moment of privacy. Liam hadn’t intended to be so honest, to blatantly share his feelings like that, but he did. And it was stupid. Incredibly stupid. But Theo didn’t think so.</p><p>He grabbed Liam back and hugged him close to him. “Thanks for caring about me,” Theo mumbled into his shoulder. Liam smiled and hugged back just as tightly. He ignored the voice in his head that was telling him to stop, telling him that Theo was evil. It sounded suspiciously like Scott and Stiles, and Liam was tired of feeling like he couldn’t make his own decisions.</p><p>[<em>end flashback</em>]**</p><p> </p><p>Everything was going great, and Liam had started to think that he could do this. They would keep Theo’s truck in the garage, and they could continue on with their secrets. Liam could enjoy spending time with Theo without being angry or on defense all the time. And Theo, after only one day, was actually acting normal, like a friend.</p><p>That is, until Liam told him that he didn’t want a ride to Scott’s. He was deeply regretting deciding to keep it a secret as he stood outside the door to his house. He could hear Theo telling himself to suck it up, and all Liam could think was that it was idiotic to do this, to hide Theo away from everyone, whether if it is for selfish or reasonable reasons. He audibly exclaimed, “This is so stupid,” before taking off running, the keys to his own truck still in his hands, forgotten.</p><p>The run was quick, and it took away some of his worries. It was the right choice, to keep it a secret. His pack would never understand. Sighing, the door opened wide as soon as he reached it. He was greeted by Scott’s grin and gave him a quick hug before turning his attention to the rest of the pack.</p><p>“You smell like Theo.” Malia wrinkled her nose, “Why?” Liam froze in his tracks, barely inside the door.</p><p>“Uhh, nice to see you too, Malia.” But it was too late. The exact attention that Liam didn’t want, that he thought he had avoided by telling Theo no, was now on him. Scott looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to explain, while Malia and Stiles looked at him with accusing eyes. Liam, again, considered telling the truth, for all of one second, before remembering that the pack would almost certainly call him stupid and tell him he didn’t know what he was doing. He felt guilty, lying, but if he was going to lead after Scott leaves, he might as well start. “I ran into him, it’s no big deal. Made sure he wasn’t doing anything evil, you know, stuff like that,” Liam said, throwing himself onto the couch next to Mason.</p><p>“Oh. That’s probably a good idea, to check in with him every other day, make sure he is still on the straight and narrow.” Liam allowed himself to release the tension in his chest at Scott’s reply, thankful.</p><p>“You mean, not out murdering like the psychopath that he is,” Stiles retorted. Liam was careful to keep a neutral face, but watched as Scott winced. He knew that Theo’s betrayal still hurt him, but Stiles didn’t seem to care. Not that Liam could blame him, seeming as how Stiles tried to warn them multiple times about trusting Theo. Still, it was insensitive to bring it up.</p><p>“I can do it regularly, if you want. Or we can all take turns,” Liam offered, breaking the tension. He hoped that Scott would just pawn it off onto him, seeming as how it would give him an excuse to be seen with Theo.</p><p>Liam watched as everyone looked between themselves. “If you’re sure, you can do it.”</p><p>“Yup,” Liam replied, no hesitation, and popping the “p.”</p><p>“That’s insane.” Mason shook his head, his hand in Corey’s hair, who was positioned on the floor, between Mason’s knees. Liam just shrugged, like it was no big deal. It wasn’t really. Taking Theo in would’ve been a big deal, if Liam had told them. He had never been a good liar, and Scott could always, easily, read him. Scott, however, either didn’t notice, or didn’t care.</p><p>“Okay, so, does anyone have anything to report?”</p><p>Everyone gave a quick shake of their heads. Everything had been quiet on the supernatural front. Argent had caught wind of a family of hunters planning on moving to Beacon Hills a week after school ended, but he talked them out of it, told them he had it covered. Since then, everything had been normal, and Lydia, Scott, and Malia were all planning on leaving in a month, on the same day, while Stiles was leaving in three weeks. Scott didn’t seem sure of himself, like he was afraid to leave Liam and the rest on their own, but he had spent the summer training him, both in being a werewolf and a lacrosse captain.</p><p>Liam didn’t think he could lead. Scott was expecting him to be acting alpha, but he wasn’t so sure it worked like that with werewolves. If any young, stupid beta was capable of acting like an alpha, then there would be a lot more True Alphas in the world.</p><p>“Cora called, said things are going well in South America. Her boyfriend is the Alpha,” Lydia added, smirking. Scott laughed.</p><p>“Of course,” Scott laughed. “Isaac actually called a couple days ago too, said that he met up with Ethan in London for a little bit, and that Jackson was there.”</p><p>“Oh. Reunion of the dicks,” Stiles snickered, earning an elbow in the rib from Lydia. “Okay, fine, Isaac and Ethan were both recovering dicks when they left, I shouldn’t make assumptions.” Lydia smacked him on the arm this time, causing Stiles to outwardly chuckle. Liam rarely saw Stiles so carefree, but Lydia had continued to bring it out of him since they started dating.</p><p>Scott shook his head, smiling at them. Liam had become familiar with the pack talking about their allies, but he still held no connection with them, so he couldn’t join in on the laughter. The closest he had come was feeling jealous of Isaac, since, apparently, Isaac had sort of been Scott’s first beta, though he shared him with Derek. Scott had reassured him that Liam and him shared a bond that Scott wouldn’t share with anyone else.</p><p>“If everything is good, let’s get to the food,” Stiles grinned, pointing at the pizza boxes. Liam felt his stomach growl and felt a twinge of guilt which held him in place. Mason, on the other hand, had somehow already walked across the room  to get a plate. The guilt was strong enough to stall his appetite, so he remained seated –Theo probably wasn’t going to eat.</p><p>“Well, are we sure everything is good?” Scott said, placing a hand on Stiles’ arm to hold him in place.</p><p>“The weather has been unusually cold lately.” Lydia shrugged, grabbing a piece out of one of the boxes. “But that doesn’t mean much.”</p><p>“It could be something.”</p><p>“Scott, buddy, it’ll be okay. They don’t need us here, they got Liam and the puppy pack.” Liam groaned, he hated when Stiles used that name to denote Liam and the part of the pack he was basically an alpha of.</p><p>“Well, we might need you here. I don’t know if I can do this without you, Scott. Packs are supposed to have an alpha.”</p><p>Scott smiles. “I wasn’t always an alpha, and I led. You might not be a true alpha, but I trust you to handle things. And I’m only a call away. This will be good.”</p><p>Liam just smiled in response. He wasn’t so sure. After the Ghost Riders, he was sure he’d be okay when Scott and the rest of them left for school, but lately something has been off. He’s felt more and more angry and scared as the days go on, which was probably something that he should talk with Scott about, but he never did.</p><p>He remains glued to his seat while everyone gets food, his appetite still suppressed. He didn’t feel right eating if Theo wasn’t going to. It was odd, because one would think his ever increasing fear would make him afraid of Theo, but, really, it made him want him around more, even if Scott couldn’t know.</p><p>“I thought we could watch that movie you’ve been wanting to watch, Liam,” Scott says, bringing him out of his thoughts.</p><p><em>Shit</em>. Liam couldn’t very well tell them that he had watched it with Theo earlier, “Which one?”</p><p>Mason laughed, “The one you’ve been begging us to watch, but we always shoot down because it isn’t an action movie.”</p><p>“Oh. We can watch it another time, it’s okay.” Liam hoped his heartbeat wasn’t betraying him now, in a room full of people with superhearing, telling his friends that something was off.</p><p>Malia let out a loud laugh, “Now that we’re okay with watching it, you don’t want to?”</p><p>“No, I want to!”</p><p>“Great!” And before Liam could say another word, Stiles was grabbing the remote and pressing play on the movie.</p><p>Not that it was a bad movie, but Liam had already watched the beginning of the movie twice today, and he found that he couldn’t focus on it, which wasn’t very convenient, seeming as it gave him opportunity to think about the fact that they would all be leaving soon, and Liam was secretly harboring Theo in his home.</p><p>//</p><p>The walk home was quiet, and had Liam wondering why he didn’t bother fixing his own truck to take. He didn’t mind walking, not really, he didn’t even mind running, but he wanted to get home to make sure everything was okay.</p><p>It was dark and cold, and reminded him of the night before. The nightmare that he had that woke him up was one of the scariest that he had in a while. Once plagued with them, they had gotten somewhat better after the ghost riders left. It was the first bad one in months, and it had been about Theo. He had nightmares for a bit about Theo after he had first tried to kill Scott, but this one was different. This nightmare was <em>for</em> Theo. When Liam went looking for him, he found him in the exact spot that he got attacked at in his dream. Thinking about it now, he probably should have told Scott about that, incase it was a new creature that was going to attack Theo, but Liam thinks he was just being worried for nothing.</p><p>When he reaches his house, he listens and hears two distinct heartbeats, meaning his dad was still out at work. He opens the door to be met with his mom on the couch watching tv. “Hey, mom.”</p><p>“Hey, sweetie, how were your friends?” She hugs Liam tight when he reaches her.</p><p>“They were good,” Liam gives her a kiss on the cheek before walking away.</p><p>“Why didn’t Theo go with you?”</p><p>“Oh.” Liam stopped walking towards the stairs and turned to face her again. “I should probably tell you.” Liam is silent for a moment, letting a deep breath of the room's stale air in before starting towards his mom again, sitting down next to her.</p><p>“Tell me what?”</p><p>“They all kind of hate Theo. Theo used to be bad news, because of how he was raised. That’s why he ended up homeless, and why he said he didn’t deserve a home. We’re not telling them that he’s staying here. They would give me a hard time and try to force Theo to leave.”</p><p>Liam watched carefully for his mom’s reaction. She crinkled her nose. “That’s not very nice of them, I could just tell them that it isn’t their business.”</p><p>Explaining Theo’s supernatural past to his mother, who knows nothing about the supernatural, without mentioning the supernatural, is much more difficult than Liam originally anticipated. “He was honestly awful to them, Mom. He’s not that person anymore, he’s made up for it, to me anyway, it’s why I couldn’t let him be homeless, but neither of us are ready to ask them to accept him living with me. I was… sort of hoping that you and dad would help us keep it secret until they warm up to him some more?”</p><p>“Do I need to worry about his past?”</p><p>“No! No, of course not. I wouldn’t have brought him into our home if I didn’t trust him. He’s trying to be a good person now, and I think he’s succeeding. He’s my… friend.” Because that’s what he was, even if the sentiment coming from his own mouth surprised him.</p><p>She nods. “Okay, sweetie. I don’t think you should lie to your friends,  it I understand. Does that mean we’ll see less of Mason and Corey?”</p><p>Liam sighed, feeling heavy. “Yeah, probably.”</p><p>“Alright,” she says, giving him a kiss on the forehead. “Go on up to bed. Theo was sleeping when I got home, I don’t think that he’s had a good night’s sleep in his whole life.”</p><p>“Probably not. Goodnight, mom.” Liam gets up with a smile, happy that it went well. Obviously, he doesn’t like that he will be lying to his friends, but it will turn out okay.</p><p>“Liam, honey?” Liam stops at the first step, turning back to face his mom again. “I’m proud of you. Whatever Theo did, you’ve changed his life for the better. You’re a good person, and I’m proud of you.”</p><p>Liam doesn’t have the opportunity to reply, his mom pressing play on her show before he can. All he can do is stand there in shock. His mom hadn’t said that since his IED diagnosis. He turns and walks up to his room, trying not to cry.</p><p>When he gets there, Theo is lying in his bed, sleeping. Surprisingly, Liam doesn’t even think about the air mattress, he doesn’t care. He gets ready in the bathroom, brushing his teeth and cleaning his face, before stripping down to shorts and climbing in bed. Theo radiates heat, drawing Liam closer to him. If Scott could see him now, he would probably die from stress.</p><p>And what would Scott actually think, seeing the chimera that killed him and his beta who almost killed him at the chimera’s suggestion?</p><p>“You think too loud,” Theo mumbled from next to him.</p><p>“Sorry,” Liam huffed, a smile on his face again.</p><p>“Thank you.” Liam was laying so close to Theo, both of them facing each other, so he saw when Theo opened his eyes. They shone from the moonlight coming through Liam’s window, making Liam’s heart skip a beat.</p><p>“For what?”</p><p>“For what you said to your mom,” Theo mumbled, closing his eyes again. Before Liam could speak, Theo threw an arm around his waist and pulled him closer. He couldn’t help how his heart sped up at the touch, but he didn’t pull away, or make effort to push him away. Theo had been having that affect on him all day.</p><p>“I meant it.” Liam throws his own arm around Theo, and burrows closer to him for warmth, which prompts Theo to move his arm from under his pillow to under Liam’s neck.</p><p>It was fine like this, where nobody could see them.</p><p>He felt safe, like this was what home was meant to be.</p><p>And the fact that it didn't scare him at all, not even a little bit, <em>scared the shit</em> <em>out of him.</em></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope you liked the first chapter! I worked for awhile on it, and am in the midst of writing the second one. I have the entire series plotted already, as well as the final chapter written, so this fic won't be left incomplete. Comments and thoughts are appreciated!</p>
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